What’s So Hard About Living Tiny? Why’d They Move On?

I have been hearing lots of guesses as to “why people move ‘so soon’ out of their tiny house”. I cringe anytime a thread pops up in Tiny House People making guesses as to why ‘so and so’ people moved out of the house that was built on ‘x’ tiny house show. The comments range anywhere from curious to full on critical judgments claiming that ‘they missed the whole point of the tiny house movement!’

The latest one I read specifically called me out “Macy Miller still lives in her home with two kids, but I think she is the rarity.” Now, I was a bit proud to be a standard to show that it IS possible to live tiny BUT the only difference between me and all the others criticized in there is that I am still in my tiny house…

Before you laugh and say ‘well, ya, duh!’ understand that the reason I say that is because I am NOT different from those others. I am not opposed to moving on with life if that is what makes sense for us. My tiny house is a tool that enables my lifestyle, not something that I dictate my lifestyle around. I strongly feel that that is the exact way it should be!Even though I am constantly introduced as ‘that tiny house girl’ to others I refuse to let myself be defined by something as insignificant as my house!

For now the house is still working for us but no, this house is not the only place we will ever live. I don’t yet know when we will be moving out, I don’t yet know why but I don’t see us having grand kids here either. Not because it’s impossible or because it would even be hard but because I am Macy, life never stays that consistent for me, nor do I want it too! We change, we adapt and we grow. Everyone does!

I think tiny houses impact anyone who cares to think even a little deeper about the subject. You may never ‘live tiny’ but I am guessing you will take a piece of the idea with you and find ways to apply that in your own life. That means something! For some people that is enough! That is ok!

Why does it matter that anyone moves out of their tiny house? Does it matter to you when someone moves out of their regular house? Unless you are that specific person it is impossible to understand all the intricacies of the choice anyway. Frankly, people deserve more privacy than they are often given when they make one of those choices! If they don’t want to be forthcoming then just feel free to assume ‘life happened and it no longer made sense for them to continue living tiny’. That is enough of an answer.

There is absolutely no shame in tiny houses being a step in life rather than a destination. Or a part of an equation rather than the whole answer. I may even move out some day and then move back in later, who knows! Life is weird like that, we all make the best choices we can make given our specific set of circumstances. I can tell you one thing for sure, I will never be happy in standard housing again.

Here are the details as I see them:

Tiny houses ARE a valid choice.

It’s not hard to live tiny.

It’s not for everyone.

Life changes over time. That’s ok.

Time is relative, what is fast for you might be slow for someone else and visa versa!

Your reasons for going tiny are probably not the same as the next guy over, don’t expect the results to be either.

Sometimes people just want the experience. That’s ok.

Zoning is tricky still, we’re working on that as a whole.

Reality TV isn’t usually ‘real’.

It took me 8 months of living tiny to be out of debt. We have since had years to save enough money for our next project. We aren’t quite sure what that will be so we will just keep saving and exploring until something makes sense. It took 8 months for me to live life on my terms, rather than living to pay some random set of bills. One day ‘my terms’ will dictate I move out of the tiny house that certainly won’t be a failure. It will just be us being ready to move on to our next success story! I could have been very happy moving out of my tiny house 8 months after moving in, my goals were accomplished faster than expected. We’re still happy here though, so we stay.

I will urge those getting wrapped up in ‘why other people do some things, instead of other things’ to focus instead on their own journey. Figure out what makes sense for you. Then do it!

Like this:

I am an artist, a steward, a minimalist at heart... I love being out in the sunshine... I love animals of nearly every kind, at least the furry ones, I am trying to be a gardener... I believe people are good at the core but are also capable of very bad things when they aren't intentional about their actions... I love my family, my passions and my life... I am just me :)

Very well said, our tiny house is a utensil for us to live the way that we want too. It is by no means our final destination but right now my family of 3 people, 2 cats and 1 dog are living the way we want too and enjoying living in our tiny house.

I totally agree on the what works for you angle and I may never live in a tiny house but I have taking so much from the ‘idea’ for my future living. Ultimately it’s down to the individual do your own thing.

Macy Miller

My name is Macy, I started building my 196 square foot tiny home December 2011, in the process I met a boy, James. 18 months after starting my house we moved in and started our family which includes our daughter, Hazel, son, Miles, and our Great Dane, Denver. This is where I talk about my experience with all of that :).
To learn more about us click here

Ethan's fantastic resource for all things tiny house. Takes you through every decision, from noob to dweller.

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